By Aled Herbert, 2 May 2002 09:25
NEWS The bidding war for the ITV Digital monkey has intensified after the broadcaster's advertising agency Mother said it was exploring legal options over the ownership of rights to the simian hand puppet. The monkey, called Monkey, has already attracted interest from Kwik Save, investment company Selestia and drinks company Diamond White. However, Deloitte and Touche has insisted Monkey is an asset of ITV Digital. Ad company Mother is reportedly taking legal advice on unpaid fees from ITV Digital. Meanwhile, the final bill for ITV Digital could be as high as £1.5bn after it emerged that Granada and Carlton are likely to face a further £100m charge for winding up the bankrupt company. Some analysts are predicting the charge could be as high as £120m, according to the FT, and are expecting big write-downs in the two companies' next financial results. Granada and Carlton have also agreed to underwrite redundancy costs at the pay-TV firm after administrators Deloitte and Touche refused to do so.
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